Application of Flow Chemistry Techniques to the Drug Discovery Process

Drug Discovery has frequently been described as a race where multiple pharmaceutical companies often work on the same target. In this context, efficiency and speed of chemistry operations during the hit to lead or lead optimization processes is particularly important. Our efforts in the Chemistry Technology area at AbbVie have been directed towards developing procedures that allow us to make target molecules in an expedited manner and introducing technologies that allow us to expand our internal chemistry toolbox and allow us to make the “best” molecules as opposed to the easiest to make. Technologies developed in the flow chemistry area include photochemistry, electrochemistry and high temperature chemistry. They will all be discussed during the presentation. In addition, efforts to streamline compound library production using an integrated synthesis/purification paradigm featuring a segmented flow approach will be discussed along with a potential extension to a fully integrated synthesis/purification/bioassay platform.